Introduction - What is this bill and why to protest ?

Apparently 'Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011' is brought to curb the riots taking place between majority and minority communities. After the alleged post-godhra riots in Gujarat, the so called secularists are going pillar to post to bring this enactment. So called social activists like Teesta Settlewad, Asgar Ali ENgineer are the people involved in pushing this draft bill.

O Hindus, please awake and send your suggestions to the National Advisory Council at wgcvb@nac.nic.in. You can also use opinion section in this campaign to send your comments/opinions to NAC. Click here to send comments directly and fulfill your duty towards Hindu Dharma and Nation.

Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011

The draconian provisions of the new Law

1. Protection to religious or linguistic minority and Scheduled Castes and tribes - It is directed to punish the offenses done or anticipated against a group which essentially comprises of a religious or linguistic minority and Scheduled Castes and tribes (Sec 1 (e)). Nobody else is given protection. If in certain area, hindu population is minority and attack is targeted against them or where the minorities themselves start organized attacks and riots, this law wont help to Hindus. Such is the viciousness of the draft bill. Crimes committed by the minorities will be prosecuted by the regular criminal procedure.

2. Curbing freedom of expression by terming it as Hate propaganda - Even publishing, communicating or disseminating of opposition may be termed as Hate Propaganda u/s 8 and is may extend to 3 years and/or fine. Again, it is targeted against the Hindu literature and and not anti-hindu literature.

Section 18 makes anything said or expressed against the minorities may be taken up as offence under this Act. The Govt. is to keep a constant vigil on this as to who is criticizing minorities, even fair criticizing may invite action by state else the public servant will be prosecutes - Sec. 18 - This provision may be misused widely even in the time of peace, for it is a continuing process.

3. Offenses to be non-bailable and cognizable - The offenses under the act are summarily non-bailable and cognizable even if they are not so under I.P.C. by virtue of (Sec. 11 and 58)

4. Government machinery will be made a slave to the minorities - Under this Bill, public servants will be under constant supervision and torture- dereliction of duty and it casts vicarious liability on them(Sec. 12 to 16). As also the victim can at any point of time gets a right to know the stage of proceedings and can complain to the National authority against the Govt. Machinery.

5. Obeying orders is not a defense - Apart from the vicarious liability, the order obeying police etc. can not say that they obeyed the orders. Even if one obeys an order of his senior, he also is a accused. In the times of riots or attacks, controlling the same will be too much difficult because of this. (Sec. 16)

6. Creation of a post - Defender for Justice and Reparations. - (Sec. 56) It appears that his sole activity will be to press for the rights of minorities.

7. Creation of National Authority for Communal Harmony, Justice and Reparation

It shall have separate investigation agency with a Director General of Police GP. (Sec. 29)

It's advisories and recommendations will be binding on the State and Central Govt. (Sec. 32 (a) and (d) read with Sec. 29)

It can interfere in the Court proceeding ( SEc. 32 j and k)

It will have the status of a Civil Court.

8. The public servants like District Magistrate or Police Superintendent made directly answerable to the National Authority. (Sec. 72,29, 69, 71, 4138,39)

9. Presumption of guilt and burden of proof on the accused (Hindus) - The accused will have to prove innocence ( Sec. 74) This changes the entire legal proceeding against the hindu accused people.

10. More than one third of public prosecutors will be from the religious or linguistic minority. ( Sec. 78)

11. Provision for funds - There will be funds diverted from the Consolidated Funds of India in addition to the fines collected under this act which will be disbursed to the alleged victims.

12. Apart from punishment the convict will have to pay to the victim - Whatever is given to the victims are in turn subrogated from the the persons allegedly responsible for the loss of property, life or liberty (Sec 110)

13. Protection of action taken in good faith - All the persons acting under this Act will have blanket 'protection of action taken in good faith'. ( Sec. 130)

14. This act is in addition to any other laws that are in force at present (Sec. 138)

Members of drafting and advisory committee ( Many of the members known for Anti-Hindu acts in the Name of Secularism )

Time Frame: August 1, 2010 - February 28, 2011

Drafting Committee Members

Gopal Subramanium

Maja Daruwala

Najmi Waziri

P.I.Jose

Prasad Sirivella

Teesta Setalvad

Usha Ramanathan (upto 20 Feb 2011)

Vrinda Grover (upto 20 Feb 2011)

Conveners of Drafting Committee

Farah Naqvi, Convener, NAC Working Group

Harsh Mander, Member, NAC Working Group

Advisory Group Members

Abusaleh Shariff

Asgar Ali Engineer

Gagan Sethi

H.S Phoolka

John Dayal

Justice Hosbet Suresh

Kamal Faruqui

Manzoor Alam

Maulana Niaz Farooqui

Ram Puniyani

Rooprekha Verma

Samar Singh

Saumya Uma

Shabnam Hashmi

Sister Mary Scaria

Sukhdeo Thorat

Syed Shahabuddin

Uma Chakravarty

Upendra Baxi

Aruna Roy, NAC Working Group Member

Professor Jadhav, NAC Working Group Member

Anu Aga, NAC Working Group Member

Joint Conveners of Advisory Group

Farah Naqvi, Convener, NAC Working Group

Harsh Mander, Member, NAC Working Group

How you want to contribute timely, by sparing time in this need of the hour ?

While the Kerala government is in a dilemma over implementing Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel report, a leading environmentalist warns that the extremely fragile ghats region is highly prone to natural calamities. According to Prof. V.S Vijayan, chances of an Uttarakhand-like tragedy in the region cannot be ruled out if scientific conservation initiatives are not being implemented at the earliest.

The UDF government is under pressure to implement the report's saliant recommendations. But business groups having stakes in granite quarrying, real estate, timber and tourism, who thrive in the biodiversity hotspot for decades, are opposing the report drawn by noted ecologist Madhav Gadgil. Also, the report has evoked sharp criticism from various quarters including the mainstream political parties in all the six states concerned - Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa -through which the Western Ghats is spread over.

According to Prof V.S. Vijayan, former chairman of the State Biodiversity Board, also a member of Gadgil committee, commercial interests with the support of political parties are trying to create tension among people and making false propaganda against the report. "The Ghats region is highly prone to natural calamities like that happened in Uttarakhand recently. Indiscriminate plundering of natural resources and illegal and unscientific constructions have made it geologically fragile. Those who are agitating against the Gadgil report should try to understand the facts first before making a hue and cry," Mr. Vijayan said.

"The natural forest cover in the region has dwindled to seven per cent. Most of the rivers have dried up and waters are contaminated in the rest of them. Hills are also slowly disappearing due to quarrying," he said.

Dismissing the argument that the Gadgil report is "anti-development" and "anti-farmer", he said it is a pro-development report to the core but it wanted development initiatives in the region to be carried out in a sustainable manner. "Development process has to go on. Livelihood of people should be met. But, these all should be achieved in a sustainable manner, without causing any more harm to the biodiversity and environment there," he said.

In Kerala, political parties and church establishments, irrespective of their differences, are against implementation of the report. They fear that the implementation would result in large-scale displacement of small and marginal farmers settled on the slopes of the hill ranges. Even the Kasturirangan report, which studied the recommendations of Madhav Gadgil report, has also not received total support.

The state government formed an experts' panel last week under the Biodiversity Board Chairman V. Ommen to create consensus among political parties and environmental activists on its implementation.

Disputing the contention of the sceptics, Mr. Vijayan said the Gadgil committee has not opposed all human activity in the demarcated regions. "We have recommended the ban on polythene carry bags in the region. But, some churches told the faithful that they could not use even plastic buckets if the report was implemented." "Another propaganda is that the report is against the construction of new houses in Western Ghats. But what we objected to was the conversion of agricultural and forest land for other purposes. But exception could be given to families who live there for generations. The recommendation was actually to curb real estate lobby," he said. A recommendation to make all new constructions in the region eco-friendly, was twisted by vested groups and propagated that Gadgil committee wanted all new houses to be built with grass and bamboo, he said.

He also denounced the allegation that the report was "anti-farmer", saying that the report recommendations actually would provide more monetary gains to the farming community. "There are recommendations in the report to provide 'conservation charges' for those farmers who use indigenous seeds for cultivation. The benefit is also recommended for farmers who rear indigenous fish species. Even those who grow native tree species in their homeyard are also recommended to get monetary benefit," he said.

Holding that the Gadgil committee has used a "totally unbiased system" to Study the Western Ghats, Mr. Vijayan said they first took Western Ghats as a huge "water tower" as it is the water repository for all the six states. The entire Western Ghats was divided into three zones based on as many as 14 characters like geological and biodiversity factors, presence of rare species and so on. The entire region was demarcated as grids and grades were given to each grid based on these factors, he said. "The most sensitive areas have been included in zone one.

Areas like Silent Valley and Athriappally fell under the zone naturally. We have not included any place purposefully in it." The report, prepared thoroughly through a democratic process, envisaged to secure 'grama sabhas' and panchayats the ultimate power which the mafia groups in the region did not want to happen, he said."The Kasturirangan panel, formed to examine Gadgil report, also had references about the presence of these mafias. As many as 52 per cent of objections which the Kasturi panel received against Gadgil report were from mining lobbies."

He criticised Kasturirangan report for discarding the zonal wise demarcation proposed by Gadgil panel and dividing the Ghats region just into 'cultural and natural areas' stating that it would open up the region for mafias. The expert also urged the authorities to distribute a Malayalam version of the Gadgil report among local residents and hold public debates on the matter with the support of grama sabhas.

Meanwhile, V. Ommen, who has been made the chairman of the expert committee on the Kasturirangan report, said his main responsibility would be to hold grassroot level discussions on the report and create awareness among people that it would not harm their life. "I will be clear about my responsibilities only when I receive the terms and references. When we receive a copy of Kasturirangan report, we will bring out a Malayalam version of it, giving focus on Kerala side.Later we will visit all 123 villages, said to be affected with its implementation, and try to create consensus among various sections of people with the support of panchayat authorities and political parties," he said.

RSS is devising new ways — youth outreach campaign, new media, IT milans — to connect with the new generation

It takes a while for the old men — some with their walking sticks, others in wheelchairs — to find their place inside the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) complex in Reshimbagh here on Sunday. They wait as the Sarsanghchalak, Mohan Bhagwat, comes and sits in the middle of the front row for a group photograph. A bell rings soon after, a signal for the group to head for a baithak.

Eighty senior pracharaks, who had spent their lives spreading the Sangh's message of Hindutva, have come from all over the country for the Vijayadasami celebrations. The gathering could not have been more timely, for the Sangh's appeal among the young is waning. The organisation is devising new ways to recruit a new generation to fill the shoes of these senior men.Suresh 'Bhaiyaji' Joshi is the RSS sarkaryavah, general secretary, which makes him the second most powerful man in the organisational hierarchy. At Smriti Bhawan inside the Reshimbagh complex, Mr. Joshi tells The Hindu over a cup of tea on Monday afternoon that it has been a challenge for the Sangh to attract young people.

As Mr. Joshi puts it, educational pattern, lifestyle, and working hours have changed. "Children go to school through the day, and then have tuitions right from the primary level. This was not prevalent earlier. A child who leaves home after Class 10 often does not return for six-seven years, and is cut off even from his family. In colleges, university exams have given way to a semester system, and even monthly tests. IT professionals and others work 12 hours a day or more."

Such schedules leave people with little time, or energy to attend daily morning and evening shakhas — sessions of basic indoctrination into the Sangh philosophy — for an hour. Another Sangh official admits that the perception that the RSS is 'old, traditional and rigid' does not help either.

This reflects in the figures. In 2005-06, the Sangh had close to 47,000 daily shakhas. That number, today, is about 39,000. There are 2,500 full-time pracharaks, which is an increase from the past, but not commensurate with the amount of work. While Sangh officials insist this is not worrisome — for the organisation's work is happening in many other ways — it appears to have triggered a degree of flexibility.

Different packaging

Back in Delhi, Ram Madhav — the Sangh's public relations in-charge — operates out of his plush office in Jangpura. Shuffling between his ipad, iphone and Macbook, Mr. Madhav says, "RSS is reinventing itself to connect with the new generation."

To target the youth, besides the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the RSS now has its own university, college and hostel pramukhs — there is a special focus on student-dominated towns like Kota. There are 2,000 shakhas exclusively for university students. Mr. Madhav, who is one of the coordinators of the youth outreach campaign, says, "We have weekly shakhas instead of daily shakhas inside campuses." Five thousand young people were taken to the country's borders under a special programme to "create a sense of pride."

Information Technology (IT) milans are organised in hubs like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Faridabad, and Gurgaon. "It may be too early for IT professionals to come at 6 in the morning, so during weekends, we have shakhas at 10.30 for them," says Mr. Madhav.

New media

Besides reworking shakha-format, new media has been embraced, and the 'packaging' of the message has changed. PowerPoint presentations and documentaries are used in special shakhas. The 'Join RSS' link on its website has generated responses; its sympathisers are active on Twitter and Facebook; and they have mailing lists.

Asked how the Sangh reconciles its emphasis on austerity with the growing consumerism among youth segments, even in the Sangh, Mr. Joshi says the line between 'simplicity and luxury' is a fine one. He gives the instance of how mobiles have become a necessity. Another senior official indicates that location is important. "A pracharak in a tribal area must not carry fancy gadgets, for people will think some big officer has come. But in a place like JNU, if you are not up-to-date, people will dismiss you as someone from the Stone Age."The RSS is also having an internal debate on whether it is time to change its uniform, the khaki shorts, which isn't perceived to be popular with the young.

At his residence in Nagpur, 90-year-old M.G. Vaidya, a senior ideologue and former spokesperson, shows us two belts — the old leather belt has been replaced with a synthetic one. As proof of the organisation's flexibility, he adds that the colour of the shirts and nature of boots have also changed during the RSS history, and in his neighbourhood shakha, there are people who come in full pants.

"We have even changed our prayers from the time the RSS was set up. Don't underestimate our ability to adapt with the times," says a senior official. The Sangh believes that if it can get people interested initially, then the Hindutva ideology, the 'warmth of informal relations' and networks; and the presence of 'inspiring role models' would ensure that they get drawn to the organisation.

To test whether attitudes are changing, I ask Mr. Joshi about the total absence of women in the Sangh's decision-making hierarchy. "Women are not present in the Sangh at all. From the inception, our thinking was we must organise Hindu men in society." The physical nature of Sangh activities, he argues, does not make it conducive to have men and women together. "But women are associated with the ABVP, the VHP, and other affiliates."

The senior RSS leader says it did not have a problem with women working or with co-educational institutions. But what is important is how women are perceived. "With modernisation, we must not forget our samskara. In our culture, we treat women as mothers. In the West, they see women as wives. There must be purity."

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Islamic architecture, what's that?

Architecture is a product of geographical conditions, materials available, levels of development of society and the need for protecting oneself from the environment. Architecture is nor denominational.

It is cultural and civilisational. The term Islamic architecture is part of the same project that had divided history into Hindu and Muslim. The term is a colonial orientalist legacy.

Read any text book of history or architecture in the subcontinent, and increasingly in the world outside, and you will come across the term Islamic Architecture.

The elements of Islamic Architecture, we are told, are the arch, the dome and the minar or the minarets.

Let us take these one by one and see if they can be traced back to Islam.

The first large-scale use of the true arch, in aqueducts, is ascribed to the Romans in the 3rd century BCE. The Roman engineers acquired many of their engineering skills from the Etruscans (ancient Italians going back to the 7th century BCE) and the Greeks.

The Corbelled arch which preceded the true arch goes back much further in history and the Trabeate arch, the precursor to the Corbelled, would probably go back to the first gate built by humans in a pre-historic time, difficult to pinpoint now.

The first arch was probably two large pieces of wood dug into the ground with another piece of wood resting on top of these two beams. It was this that was to later transform into the post and lintel arch or the Trabeate, the most commonly known example of which would be the Stonehenge. The Trabeate was probably created simultaneously in several civilisations. Or perhaps even before civilisations began and continues to be used in all standard rectangular or square doors and windows till today. The Trabeate was to evolve into the true arch through a long process of evolution that included the creation of the Corbelled or the false arch. The Corbelled can be seen for a long time along with the true arch — throughout the ancient and medieval periods — not only in the subcontinent, but also in different civilisations scattered worldwide.

The true arch defined by Leonardo da Vinci as "strength created by two weaknesses" was to find expression in various forms including, but not restricted to, the Horse Shoe, the Trefoil, the Gothic, the Tudor, the Lancet, the Elliptical and the Pointed. The Pointed Arch became more popular in the Middle East and central Asia and travelled to north India in the 13th century. By the 17th century — the time of Mughal Emperor Shahjahan — another variation of the true arch, known as the Scalloped or the Cusped arch came to rule the roost. Structures built in the late 17th and 18th centuries using this arch came to be described as Indo-Islamic architecture. And when elements of the Gothic revival architecture were mixed with this form it came to be known as Indo-Saracenic or described variously as Indo, Mughal or Hindoo-Gothic. Gradually the latter terms fell out of use but Islamic and Indo-Islamic remained.

The Pantheon was built in 126 CE, it is even today in use, and 2000 years after it was built, continues to be the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. The dome travelled to Byzantium and then to central Asia. The Hagia Sofia, built in 537 CE as a Greek Orthodox Basilica, was turned into a Roman Catholic Church for a while, but reverted to the control of the Greek Orthodox Church and later become a mosque, and since 1931 it has been a museum.

The Sasanid or the Neo-Persian Empire (224-651 CE) began to build large-scale domes and it was perhaps the neo-Persians that developed the technique of the squinch, a technique that gradually transformed a square into a circle upon which a dome could be constructed. The minar, probably derived from manara (Light House) in Arabic, is in all probability a pre-Islamic architectural form, that could have been built as a guide at night. Later incorporated into the mosque architecture, in India, the mosque-minar association is not so old.

The first mosque that is believed to have been built in the subcontinent is in Kodungallur in Thrissur, Kerala. Known as the Cheraman Mosque, it is believed to have been built in 629 AD, according to the wishes of Cheraman Perumal, the last Chera king, who travelled to Arabia and became a Muslim. The mosque had no domes or minars.

The 13th century Kuttichira Mosque in Calicut, built by the Arab trader and ship-owner Nakhuda Miskal, too, is not adorned with domes or minars. The mosque built by Qutb-ud-din Aibak in 1293 and the first mosque in Delhi too has no minar. The Qutub Minar was not a part of the mosque. Its construction had started a year earlier and it was a victory tower. The minar became a part of the mosque as a result of the two expansions of the mosque, initiated by Altamash (Iltutmish) and Ala-ud-din Khilji.

From the 13th century till the building of the Jama Masjid by Shahjahan, none of the mosques in Delhi has a minar. If a muezzin was to climb either the Qutub or the Jama Masjid minars to call the believers to prayer, he will not be heard. At the Qutub no one will hear him on the ground and at Jama Masjid no one outside the mosque will be able to hear him. The minar was in all probability not used for calling the faithful to prayers, but was prompted with a desire to reach God, who it was believed, is up there in the heavens.

The minar in a mosque, the steeple in a church, the shikhar in a temple all served the same purpose and these forms evolved when people believed the world to be flat. Old mosques in Kashmir, Indonesia, Malaysia and in a whole lot of places do not have domes or minars or arches. These forms are the product of a specific region from where they spread. They have no endearing bonds to any religion. The largest dome in the world sits atop the Basilica of St Peter. There is another atop the White House and none of the US presidents have been Muslims.

When there are Gothic, Neo-Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, German, Nordic, French, Art Deco and other kinds of architecture but no Christian architecture, when there are Parihar, Hoysala, Chandel, Pallavas, Pandaya, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and other forms of architecture and no Hindu architecture, then how can there be Islamic or Muslim architecture?

Architecture is a product of geographical conditions, materials available, levels of development of society and the need for protecting oneself from the environment. Architecture is nor denominational. It is cultural and civilisational. The term Islamic architecture is part of the same project that had divided history into Hindu and Muslim. The term is a colonial orientalist legacy.

RSS Sarasanghachalak Mohan Bhagwat's speech from NAGPUR-2013 The Navami is celebrated all over Bharatavarsha offering worship to Goddess Sakthi and weapons. Dasami is known as the day for Seemolanghan, i.e. the day for transcending the boundary. Today these two auspicious occasions have come together. We all know that our nation is faced with intricate and challenging problems, and it is for us to wake up our latent strength and overcome these problems through our hard work. The different types of problems confronting us have been persisting for a long time now and are taking serious turns. In a democratic polity, when those who are responsible to ensure the security and progress of the nation lack the necessary competence to face up to the task and even their very intentions are questionable, it becomes incumbent upon the samaj to put in its efforts with dedication and valour to overcome the challenges. A cursory glance would suffice to convince us of the enormity of the challenges we are facing. Since every year the nature of such challenges and ways of their resolutions is being discussed in detail on this platform on similar occasions, I would rather deal with them very briefly now. The economic condition of the nation has an instant and direct bearing on the day-to-day routine and life of the common people. Presently the common people in our country are reeling under the unbearable weight of unending price-rise. Just two years back, loud noises were being made about making our country an economic super-power of the world. But today we are in search of means to arrest the trend of fall in the value of rupee so as to tide over the imminent economic crisis; i.e. fiscal deficit, current account deficit and depleting foreign exchange reserve, and the resultant economic crisis have now become the hot topic of common discourse. Stagnating economic growth, steep rise in foreign debt in comparison to Gross Domestic Product, etc. bear ample testimony to the fact that we are taking our economy in the wrong direction. However, what is more surprising is the refusal of the government to change the course and its continuation with its rigid policies. In the field of production, policies are formulated in such a way to deny the ownership to domestic entrepreneurs and entrust means of production to foreign hands. Small-scale entrepreneurs, small-time industrialists, retail businessmen and others, who contribute the major portion of the national income, are pushed into a difficult situation by our own government, in which they are compelled to compete with foreign entrants on uneven terms. As a result, a big question mark hangs on the future prospects of the domestic entrepreneurs, the self-reliance of the nation, and entrepreneurship of the society. Job opportunities have come down. The number of people migrating from villages to cities in search of livelihood has increased, and as a result a number of problems have cropped up in cities as well as villages. Whatsoever be the artificial glitter created by the so-called ''progress,'' from the economic view, this has not at all benefitted the common people and the backward classes. Further, the situation has made life-conditions extremely difficult. Even after the exposure of the rampant corruption at the highest echelons of power, and the full play of public ire and resentment against it through the movements against corruption, the real culprits involved in such acts still roam about freely. And, instead of enacting stringent laws to curb such nefarious practices, the political leadership is bringing in laws that are intrinsically flawed and full of loop- holes. We have seen the result of the wrong growth pattern hurriedly followed by us with hubris imitating foreign yard – stick, with an eye on votes and notes, turning a blind eye to our national tradition, life-experience of thousands of years, environment, aspirations of our common people, their needs and priorities, etc., when nature retaliated with full fury, wreaked terrible destruction and devastation in Uttaranchal recently. If only we develop an indigenous pattern of growth, based on our own genius and in sync with the present times, keeping in mind the positive and negative aspects of modern technology, current world economic systems and trends, we will be able to achieve a growth that, along with bringing its benefits even to the last man in the row, will make us self – reliant, create jobs, improve quality, and ensure equity, justice and freedom from exploitation. And we have to realise that turning our faces away from this reality would only do great harm to the health of our national life. Remaining firm in this belief we have to force the powers-that-be to take the whole system in the same direction. Also, with the same view, it is necessary to bring about total transformation in the present educational policy that seeks to commercialise education, not only because the education under this policy is beyond the reach of the common people, but also for the reason that it is quite incapable of fostering good qualities and culture. It seems efforts are being made to invite foreign educational institutions here with an aim to bring the entire educational sector exclusively under their domain by discouraging the ongoing local efforts in this arena. Instead of making it an instrument for equipping and preparing the new generation in every way for building a prosperous nation, if the education sector is treated as a market for international business that bring financial gains, the future of the nation will be bleak and it will land in a dark abyss. However, it appears that the orientation presently given to the educational sector is incapable of imparting the necessary wisdom to realise this danger. It must be kept in mind that one of the main reasons behind the growth in atrocities against women is lack of nourishment of cultural values. The provision to impart this culture to the new generation is available in our family system. And with this realisation, our family system is being studied and to some extent emulated all over the world. However, without understanding the significance of this system, attempts are made to turn the inter-personal relationships within the family into some sort of financial dealings, by bringing in unnecessary laws. Even if this is done with some good intentions, it is amply clear that neither any thought has been given nor any study made to assess the importance of our family system from the point of view of social security and social enterprise. The shadow of dark clouds hovering around our national security continues to persist. China continues to test our mettle by frequent incursions across India's borders, attempts to besiege us by increasing influence in countries in our neighborhood, and dumping their products in our markets. We, on our part, have not been showing the will or the resolve to respond to these threats with firmness and full might. On the contrary, people are not taken into confidence by giving them a complete and factual picture of such serious issues. The statements made by those in responsible positions to dilute the seriousness of such developments, whenever correct information percolates from outside, raise the question of our sensitivity and alertness related to our border security, sovereignty, etc, and that becomes a matter of concern. It has been proved time and again that Pakistan's policy is based on its hatred for India. Knowing this very well, why we are pursuing a weak and meek policy that encourages Pakistan's misadventure is beyond anyone's comprehension. In the northeast, the neglect and suppression of patriotic people, and abetment and appeasement of separatist terrorist forces and infiltrators for the sake of vote bank politics is continuing unabashed. Neglect of those areas in matters of development continues as in the past. All these years, construction of border roads, development aimed at providing job opportunities for local populace, and introduction of measures to further strengthen and fortify the facilities for border patrolling, have made no satisfactory progress. In view of the scenario created by these problems besetting our defense front, instead of taking measures to promote the interests of the people of Indian origin in Nepal, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Myanmar and South-east Asia, and strengthening our bond of love and friendship with those countries, we see the same complacency and duplicity being displayed. In the home-front also, let alone making our defense preparedness fool-proof and self-sufficient, communication system up-to-date, and effecting quantitative increase in defense forces and uplifting their morale, deliberations are on to invite foreign investments in defense production, and one after another, incidents are taking place that adversely affect the morale of our defense forces. As a result, how inimical forces are emboldened to pose challenges to us, both within the country and on the borders through their misadventures, is amply clear from the havoc wrought both by Pakistan and China through repeated ingressions into our territory, and the incidents like attacking our military camps, as happened at Hiranagar in Jammu. The internal security situation is also very worrisome. Reports of forces propelled by foreign ideologies and receiving all sorts of help from abroad, and who mock at our constitution and legal system through violent means, joining their forces by coming together, have been coming from different parts of the country. It is the exploitation of the common people and their terrible and poor living conditions that prepare the ground for such forces, and, as such, such problems should be addressed and solved immediately. For this, the government and the administration should become more responsive and transparent and mercilessly root out violent activities. However, it seems, the government lacks the necessary will-power to change its lukewarm attitude even now. The ordinary citizen is fed up with this situation, is angry, and wants a change. However, because of selfish motives, Indian politics enjoys bliss in the vicious circle of vote bank. In such a situation it is the majority Hindu society, traditionally living in this land from time immemorial without any precondition whatsoever that is suffering the most. Recently shops of Hindu businessmen at Kishtwar in Jammu, where the Hindu population is a meager 15%, were attacked and ransacked by people motivated by communal hatred. Abetted and prompted by the state home minister, who was present there, and in the presence of senior police officers, the loot and destruction went on in a very systematic manner. It was only because of the quick and effective response of the patriotic people living in other parts of the Jammu region the lives of the hapless Hindus could be saved. By compensating the victims in lakhs, who sustained losses worth crores of rupees, the state government seems to be proud that it has discharged its duty. Also need was never felt to take stringent action against the perpetrators and the zealots who hatched the criminal conspiracy. Mind you, this is the very same Jammu and Kashmir state whose Chief Minister recently told a European delegations visiting the state that accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India was only conditional and not absolute merger. What he said clearly indicates the mindset of the forces active in politics there, who, while remaining in power, play all sorts of illegal deceptive tricks to banish those who are committed to India's unity and integrity and consider the state as an integral part of India, from the whole of Jammu-Ladak-Kashmir region. The project to rehabilitate remorseful former militants desirous of returning to the valley itself is quite strange, because the safe and honorable rehabilitation of the millions of Hindus of kashmir valley, and complete re-establishment of people displaced from Pak occupied kashmir and other places because of at least four invasions of Pakistan is still pending. Now, instead of allowing the former militants to come under proper procedure through the two prefixed routes, bringing thousands of such people hurriedly in a clandestine manner through a third route, i.e. through the Nepal border, seems to be part of a plan to make the demographic imbalance more acute. In Jammu region they want to start with Doda, Kisthwar, Poonch and Rajauri. This is a conspiracy to increase the numbers of those who could be made its part, including Bangladeshis and Rohingyas, and to reduce the number of patriotic people through threats and terrorists acts. The recent happenings in Kisthwar are only its part. Unfortunately, the politics played by the centre during the last decade has only strengthened the nerves of such people. The recent happening at Mujaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh are yet another example of the crooked politics detrimental to national interests, in which, blinded by the craze for power, the national and patriotic forces were suppressed. Unilateral and one-sided atrocities committed by the lumpen elements of a particular religious community were not only ignored by the government, which was busy with the balancing act, but were also encouraged and protected. Even before the elections were conducted in the state, putting the law and constitution on the back-burner, competition was on between politicians to appease the so-called minority vote. After coming to power, at the instance of the ruling party, an I.A.S. Officer was suspended for the "offence" of discharging duties staying within the limits of power accorded by law. Whipping up an unsavoury controversy by imposing a ban on the totally peaceful and lawful Ayodhya Parikrama, the game stoking the flames of communal feelings in the cover of secularism was kick started. Such biased and anti-people policies resulted in a severe public outburst, and to control that the Government became indecisive and was totally paralysed. Even now, instead of facing the truth, efforts are made to shift the entire blame on the Hindu society and those who showed the courage to tell the truth, with the help of the section of the media. The communal, intolerant and terrorist forces behind all such atrocious acts, and the elements that hobnob with them and provide them strength, stand exposed through the gory incidents of manslaughter that took place from the mall at Nairobi to the church at Peshavar. But our politicians, blinded by their greed for power, are quite unable to see this truth, which is as bright as daylight. Further proof of extreme selfishness prevalent in our political system has come before the public in a very conspicuous manner. Unfortunately, those who are at the helm of affairs in the government, and who have a solemn commitment to treat all citizens on an equal footing, are treating Hindus with discrimination in thoughts, words and deeds and blatantly appeasing and pampering the so called minorities. The recent missive sent by the Union Home Minister directing the state governments to go soft on the youths belonging to the so-called minority community, and the way in which killings of Hindu leaders by the fundamentalist elements in Tamilnadu were handled with total disdain and the disinterest shown in the investigation of the said cases, compel us to say that the orientation of the politics is not to unite and integrate the whole society. The practice of heaping insults on the Hindu society continues shamelessly and because of this mindset, attempts were made to bring in a totally unlawful legislation under the name Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence bill – 2011. Provisions were made to accord reservation on communal basis. Now, the people who squandered tax-payers money on such partisan projects and corruption were eyeing the gold deposits at Hindu temples to fill the empty government coffers. The people wielding power at the centre, who view with contempt matters like the dignity of the citizens, environmental protection, security of maritime boundaries, preservation of natural valuable resources like thorium, livelihood of coastal population, etc., because of their craze for power, are hell-bent on going ahead with the Sethusamudram project, destroying the Ramasetu, throwing into the dustbin the recommendations of the very committee appointed by them. The conditions prevalent in the nation have a direct bearing on the life of the entire population. We, who elect the political parties and leaders as our rulers, are all ordinary people. So, we have to discuss about any given situation not to get scared, but for finding the solution. Fortunately for us, a major segment of our population comprises youths who are full of vigour, conviction, and expectations and pure at heart. Hence, any genuine and united efforts will certainly bear fruit. From this point of view, we have an immediate though temporary responsibility before us. In democracy elections may be a matter of politics for contestants but for us common citizens it is an opportunity to perform our mandatory democratic duty. Voters will have an opportunity to elect their representatives in the near future. We have a large number of new and young voters. So as to discharge our responsibility as voters, first and foremost, we have to ensure that our names properly figure in the voters list. 100 per cent polling will make democracy healthier. We have to minutely evaluate the policies of contending political parties as also the character of the candidates while exercising our franchise. We should never fall prey to any form of deceptive propaganda or stratagem; neither should we allow ourselves to be carried away by cheap emotions or narrow-minded considerations. Our voting should be based purely on issues, to the parties who follow policies that serve our national interests and to the capable candidates who have integrity. Giving up complacency, we have to actively cooperate with all efforts that are being made in this direction, as well as the electoral process and the concerned individuals. But our duty does not end just by voting and transferring the whole responsibility on the shoulders of elected persons. Any attempt at bettering strength and reformation should invariably start with our own personal life. Augmenting our physical, mental and intellectual strength should become part of our daily routine. We have to acquire knowledge about the real history of our nation, its greatness, and its present condition from authentic and unbiased sources. And regarding the future of the nation, we have to emulate the thoughts of great men of sacrifice and selflessness, and have to imitate the way they discharged their duties, which is nothing but practical guidance for us. Let us make a solemn resolve that we would earn fame and success by increasing our efficiency through strenuous efforts and use them not to serve personal selfish ends, but for the benefit of society, humanitarianism and service. On this sacred day, let us take a solemn pledge to transcend all narrow personal limitations and to heartily worship God in the form of our Rashtra, dedicating everything to it. And let us also make a commitment to wisely participate in all activities for the good of society and work with others without any selfish motive. Even as the Government and administration have a responsibility to maintain the rule of law, society has an equal responsibility to be emphatic about voluntarily observing the law in day to day life. And from here starts the flow of corruption free pure and serene social life. In a democratic set up, the right to agitate staying within the framework of the constitution is the prerogative and means of the people to demand repeal of unjust and misconceived laws. And, at the same time, the people also have their own civic duties to discharge and the responsibility to abide by the laws of the land. And it is for every one of us to start with our own lives and set a perfect example in such matters. According to Indian view, family, the smallest unit of our social system, is, in fact, the microcosmic form of the society. So whatever reforms we aim at should begin with bringing about the required changes in the behaviour and climate in our own family. Simplicity, truthfulness, purity, sanctity, love, etc. should be discernible in our family life. We have to ensure that women in our family are socially enlightened and active. In matters like conservation of water, electricity and other means of energy, environmental security, swadeshi habit, and treating those who come into contact with our family for various reasons with love, affection, respect and equity, etc, our family should be a perfect example. Everyone in the family should be free of feeling of high and low of birth, bad manners, superposition; and free of any discrimination in the name of caste, religion, political ideology, language, province, and their thoughts, acts and behaviour should be harmonious and egoless. Remaining sensitive to and actively sharing the happiness and sorrow of neighbours, our family should be an exemplar in social behaviour. By actively addressing the social aspects, can't we put an end to this centuries old evil of heresy, hypocrisy and discrimination? Can't we throw open our centers of worship, sources of water, and crematoriums to all Hindus so as to enable Hindus to make a new beginning of harmonious life? This is the only means to bring the whole society on the side of Sad-dharma and good deeds, and string them together with the thread of 'Bharat Bhakthi'. Also, there is no other way to bring about necessary changes in the policies and system of the nation and to keep it healthy. To provide living examples of such lofty behaviour in every village, colony, lane and by-lane is the only means to accelerate the process of social change. It goes without saying that in all matters and discharging of responsibilities dealt with above, the Swayamsevaks should be naturally there before the society as the role-model. Because it is with the aim of bringing the society to an active, harmonious and organised state Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has been striving for the last 88 years. Swami Vivekananda, whose 150th birth anniversary celebrations are coming to an end shortly, had also envisaged the very same means to rejuvenate our nation. He has made it clear to the society that only through the youths, who are ready to renounce everything for the service of the nation and become perfect examples themselves by attaining pure character, selfless mind and discrimination, with body as strong as a Vajra and an heart infused with indomitable enthusiasm and love, to consecrate our sacred Bharatmata on the throne of Vishva Guru. RSS complete 88: RSS today completed its 88 years of social presence which was founded on Vijayadashami Day in 1925 by Dr Keshava Baliram Hedgewar. Earlier to Vijayadashami Speech by RSS Chief Bhagwat, there was demonstration of Physical exercise at Reshimbagh grounds. Noted historian Lokesh Chandra was the Chief Guest, he said 'the birth and genesis of RSS has a high significance in Indian

Thursday, October 10, 2013

In the interest of Muslims, there is an urgent need to reform or shut down Darul Uloom Deoband, the internationally known Islamic seminary engendering obscurantism, sectarianism and religious orthodoxies harmful to Muslims. In a recent fatwa, it ruled that Shias, mainly Bohra Muslims, are non-Muslims, violating the egalitarian tenets of the Indian republic. Fatwas are Islamic legal opinions given in response to a query and, while not many Muslims follow them, they do influence the devout ones. The accepted view that no clergy exists in Islam is untrue, as a large number of clerics in Indian villages act as doorkeepers to Muslim minds.

In recent years, the Darul Uloom Deoband has delivered numerous fatwas which undermine women's freedom. Notably, women cannot preach or deliver sermons; working women cannot mix with male colleagues; women must wear a burqa; triple talaq uttered through a cellphone is valid; women cannot serve as qazis, or judges; talking to one's fiancé on phone is haram or forbidden; adolescent girls over 13 years cannot ride bicycles; it is undesirable for women to drive a car; women shouldn't contest elections and must observe purdah; co-education is impermissible. Such fatwas include: Muslims shouldn't work in banks; modelling and acting are offences; watching cartoons on television is unlawful for children; donating blood and organs is haram; photography is sinful; celebrating birthdays is disallowed; a person blaspheming Prophet Muhammad should be killed; body scan is impermissible; and life insurance is illegal.

Such fatwas emasculate Muslim minds. Noted academic S Irfan Habib urged Muslims to ignore them. Yasoob Abbasi of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board said these "irresponsible" fatwas bring a bad name to Islam; another Board member Q R Ilyasi reminded that co-education schools exist in Saudi Arabia and Iran. Maulana Syed Ashraf Kichhouchhvi of the All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board, a body of Sufis, dubbed the anti-birthday fatwa as sans spiritualism. Regarding body scan, Faizan Mustafa, vice chancellor of the National Law University in Hyderabad, said that whatever the state does for the common good is allowed in Islam. Arshad Alam of the Jamia Millia Islamia University described these fatwas as sectarian, contested by Ahl-e-Hadees, Barelvis and Shias. Waqarunnisan Ansari, a Mumbai corporator, questioned the clerics' competence to issue fatwas, asking if they know the terrible conditions experienced by women. Reflecting at the bigger problem facing Muslims, social activist Javed Anand warned that all religious groups such as Tablighi Jamaat, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Ahl-e-Hadith and Jamaat-e-Islami do not think "any differently" from the Darul Uloom Deoband.

Islamists argue that one should ignore these fatwas as the silent majority of Muslims disregards them. This argument itself is a problem: the silent majority cowers behind the four walls of home when a cleric rules over an entire village.Islamists accuse liberal Muslims of defaming Islam and argue that anti-women fatwas are just a few. But, these fatwas are a mirror to the ruling ideology that causes Muslim decay. At this point in civilisation as we have journeyed from the invention of the wheel and steam engine on way to landing at Mars, it is meaningless to debate what arguments the Darul Uloom Deoband offers for its fatwas. The concern is: it is creating misfits for the modern world; its graduates will go on teaching a distorted version of Islam.

After 1857 when Muslims lost power in Delhi, two responses emerged: one, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan advocated scientific education as the cure for Muslim decay and established a modernist college known as Aligarh Muslim University; second, Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautvi favoured Islamic revival as the medicine for Muslim development and founded the Darul Uloom Deoband. The seminary relies on contributions and trains 5,000 residential students, with 1,000 graduating every year with an 8-year Fazeelat degree. However, its syllabus covers only three disciplines: Islamic jurisprudence, a hadith or traditions of Prophet Muhammad, the Koran. It doesn't even teach Islamic history, except for bits that figure in a hadith. It has recently introduced skills courses in English and computer science for post-Fazeelat students but these aren't aimed at broadening students' minds.

Delhi-based journalist Abid Anwar, who studied at the Darul Uloom Deoband, says the clerics who issue fatwas do not read newspapers or watch television and are unaware of societal realities. "The seminary must incorporate social sciences, mathematics, geography and natural science right from year one of the Fazeelat course if it wants to prepare its students to interact with the wider society," Anwar says, citing the example of Bihar where madrassas introduced the subjects in the 1980s. However, reform initiatives were always rebuffed. In 2009, the Indian government tried, in line with the Sachar Committee recommendations, to introduce a madrassa reform legislation so that their degrees are valued at par with mainstream schools. But Abdul Khaliq Madrasi, pro-vice chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband, accused the government of interference. In 2011, the seminary's reformist vice chancellor Ghulam Muhammad Vastanvi was removed. A tiny number of clerics sabotaged madrassa reform, though most Muslims favour it. This is the crux: a few Islamic clerics have the ability to push an entire community into decadence; while more schools are needed, the real problem is the darkness emanating from Darul Uloom Deoband. Not to forget: Deoband-leaning seminaries are producing jihadists and suicide bombers in Pakistan.

In a vibrant democracy like India, there is always something a government can do for its citizens. It must set up an educational commission on Darul Uloom Deoband and other seminaries, inquiring into their role in causing Muslim backwardness. It must: examine if their syllabus meets the educational needs of Muslims or they are producing second-class citizens in violation of the Constitution; probe their sources of funding and if they are influenced by foreign elements like Saudi Wahhabis; work to set up a council of fatwas representing clerics from all Islamic sects and ensure 50 per cent of them are women; suggest measures for recruiting female teachers in seminaries in the hope that in a 100 years — as there is no shortcut — they will produce a women-friendly interpretation of Islam.

Tufail Ahmad is director of South Asia Studies Project at the Middle East Media Research Institute, Washington DC.